Claude Code vs Cursor vs Codex: The Real Cost Comparison Nobody's Talking About (March 2026)

Everyone's arguing about Claude Code vs Cursor vs Codex. Which one is "best." Which one "replaced" the other. They're asking the wrong question. I've been using all three for the past 4 months building two Mac apps as a solo developer. Here's the comparison nobody's making: how much does each one actually cost you per productive output? Not the sticker price. Not the subscription tier. The actual cost per feature shipped.